THE APEX TIMES
Tampa Bay poured it on with a heavy run game in wet conditions and benefited from four Michael Penix Jr. interceptions, while Atlanta went 0-for-12 on third down and relied on a key turnover punch from Jessie Bates III.
Tampa Bay controlled the flow in rain at Raymond James Stadium, beating the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 and building a 9-0 lead after Michael Penix Jr. threw three interceptions in the first half. Penix finished 8-of-24 for 125 yards with four interceptions, the first time in his NFL career he threw four picks in a game.
The Buccaneers leaned into the weather early and often. Tampa Bay ran 56 times for 324 yards, with Bucky Irving leading the way on 27 carries for 170 yards and a touchdown. Backup Kenny Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries, as Tampa rode a ground-game plan that had echoes of the previous week’s approach against Carolina.
According to Next Gen Stats, Tampa Bay designed runs on 90.0% of its plays, the highest single-game rate since 2021 and the second-highest in the Next Gen era. Atlanta countered with 28 rushes for 99 yards, but it could not slow Tampa’s physical, run-first attack for long enough to swing momentum.
On offense, Atlanta’s biggest problem came on third downs. The Falcons went 0-for-12 in the game, with six third downs where they needed two yards or fewer, and the team’s average distance needed to convert was five yards. The performance marked the worst third-down showing of Atlanta’s season to that point, and it followed an 0-for-8 effort in Week 9 of the 2025 season against Indianapolis.
Even so, Atlanta did keep some drives alive. The Falcons converted three of six fourth-down attempts, but their season-wide third-down conversion rate heading into this game was 33.33%, ranking 29th among NFL offenses. After the loss, head coach Kevin Stefanski cited the need to find ways to stay on the field on third down in games like this.
Defensively, Jessie Bates III provided a spark that directly impacted scoring. In the first quarter, Bates punched the ball out of Bucky Irving’s arm just before a touchdown, stopping a score and turning it into a touchback that gave Atlanta the ball at the 20-yard line. Bates finished with six total tackles and a forced fumble, and the team noted he had created four turnover opportunities on the season at that point (three forced fumbles and one interception).
With the result, Atlanta fell to a 1-2 record inside the division. The Falcons will not play another NFC South game until Week 16, and the team is set to travel to Madrid, Spain for an international matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9.